Inflatable Body Protecting Assembly

ABSTRACT

An inflatable body protecting assembly for reducing shock to a person from a fall includes a body suit that is worn by a person. The body suit has an inner layer and an outer layer. The inner layer is spaced from the outer layer and defines a channel between the inner layer and the outer layer. A plurality of inflatable sections is mounted on the body suit. Each the inflatable sections are attached to and extend between the inner layer and the outer layer. Each of the inflatable sections extends outwardly of the outer layer and cushions impact to the inner layer when inflated. An actuator is fluidly coupled to each of the inflatable sections and is in fluid communication with air outside of the body suit. The actuator is actuated to inflate or deflate each of the inflatable sections. The actuator is mounted on the body suit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

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STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The disclosure and prior art relates to protective body wear devices and more particularly pertains to a new protective body wear device for reducing shock to a person from a fall.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a body suit configured to be worn by a person. The body suit has an inner layer and an outer layer. The inner layer is spaced from the outer layer to define a channel between the inner layer and the outer layer. A plurality of inflatable sections is mounted on the body suit. Each the inflatable sections are attached to and extend between the inner layer and the outer layer. Each of the inflatable sections extends outwardly of the outer layer and cushions impact to the inner layer when inflated. An actuator is fluidly coupled to each of the inflatable sections and is in fluid communication with air outside of the body suit. The actuator is actuated to inflate or deflate each of the inflatable sections. The actuator is mounted on the body suit.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front side view of a inflatable body protecting assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a back view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a schematic box diagram of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 6 thereof, a new protective body wear device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6, the inflatable body protecting assembly 10 generally comprises a body suit 12 that is worn by a person 14. The body suit 12 has an inner layer 16 and an outer layer 18. The inner layer 16 is spaced from the outer layer 18 to define a channel 20 between the inner layer 16 and the outer layer 18. The body suit 12 has a break 22 therein to define an upper portion 24 and a lower portion 26. The upper portion 24 covers a chest, a back and arms of a person 14. The lower portion 26 comprises pants and covers legs and a pelvis of the person 14.

A plurality of inflatable sections 28 is mounted on the body suit 12. Each the inflatable sections 28 are attached to and extend between the inner layer 16 and the outer layer 18. Each of the inflatable sections 28 extend outwardly of the outer layer 18 to cushion impact to the inner layer 16 when inflated. Each of the inflatable sections 28 on the upper portion 24 is in fluid communication with each other 30 and each of the inflatable sections 28 on the lower portion 26 is in fluid communication with each other 30. Each of the inflatable sections 28 comprises a resiliently elastic material.

The inflatable section includes a chest section 30 and a back section 32. The chest section 30 is positioned on a front side 34 of the upper portion 24. The back section 32 is positioned on a backside 36 of the upper portion 24 each of the chest 32 and back sections 34 include a vertical portion 38 and a plurality of horizontal portions 40 that traverse the vertical portion 38.

The inflatable sections 28 further include an abdomen section 42 that is positioned on the front side 34 of the upper portion 24. The abdomen section 42 is spaced downwardly from the chest section 30 wherein the abdomen section 42 is positioned over an abdomen of the person 14. A right side section 44 is included and is positioned on a right side 46 of the upper portion 24. The right side section 44 is positioned over a right side of the person 14. A left side section 48 is positioned on a left side 50 of the upper portion 24 wherein the left side section 48 is positioned over a left side of the person 14.

A right shoulder section 52 is positioned on a right shoulder 54 of the upper portion 24 wherein the right shoulder section 52 is positioned over a right shoulder of the person 14. A left shoulder section 56 is positioned on a left shoulder 58 of the upper portion 24 wherein the left shoulder section 56 is positioned over a left shoulder of the person 14. A right elbow section 60 is positioned on a right elbow 62 of the upper portion 24 wherein the right elbow section 60 is positioned over a right elbow of the person 14. A left elbow section 64 is positioned on a left elbow 66 of the upper portion 24 wherein the left elbow section 64 is positioned over a left elbow of the person 14.

The inflatable sections 28 positioned on the lower portion 26 of the body suit 12 includes a right hip section 68 that is positioned on a right hip 70 of the lower portion 26 wherein the right hip section 68 is positioned over a right hip of the person 14. A left hip section 72 is positioned on a left hip 74 of the lower portion 26 wherein the left hip section 72 is positioned over a left hip of the person 14. A coccyx section 76 is positioned on a backside 78 of the lower portion 26 wherein the coccyx section 76 extends downwardly from an upper edge 80 of the lower portion 26. The coccyx section 76 is positioned over a coccyx of the person 28.

A right knee section 82 is positioned on a right leg 84 on the lower portion 26. The right knee section 82 is positioned over the right knee 86 of the lower portion 26 and extends around an entire perimeter of the right leg 84 to encase the right knee 86 and the right popliteal fossa 88. The popliteal fossa is conventionally known as the knee pit.

A left knee section 90 is positioned on a left leg 92 on the lower portion 26. The left knee section 90 is positioned over the left knee 94 of the lower portion 26 and extends around an entire perimeter of the left leg 92 to encase the left knee 94 and the left popliteal fossa 96.

An actuator 98 is fluidly coupled to each of the inflatable sections 28. The actuator 98 is in fluid communication with air outside of the body suit 12 and is actuated to inflate or deflate each of the inflatable sections 28. The actuator 98 is mounted on the body suit. The actuator 98 comprises a pump 100 that is in fluid communication with each of the inflatable sections 28. The pump 100 is in fluid communication with the air outside of the body suit 12. The pump 100 takes in the air outside of the body suit 12 to inflate each of the inflatable sections 28 and dispenses the air outwardly from inside each of the inflatable sections 28 to deflate each of the inflatable sections 28.

An inflate button 102 is electrically coupled to the pump 100. The inflate button 102 actuates the pump 100 to inflate each of the inflatable sections 28. The inflate button 102 is exposed outwardly from the body suit 12. A deflate button 104 is electrically coupled to the pump 100. The deflate button 104 actuates the pump 100 to deflate each of the inflatable sections 28. The deflate button 104 is exposed outwardly from the body suit 12. A power source 106 is electrically coupled to the pump 100. The power source 106 is positioned in the channel 20 and comprises at least one battery.

In the embodiment that includes a break 22 separating the body suit 12 into an upper portion 24 and a lower portion 26, there may be two actuators 100, an upper actuator 108 and a lower actuator 110. The upper actuator 108 is fluidly coupled to each of the inflatable sections 28 positioned on the upper portion 24 and the lower actuator 110 is fluidly coupled to each of the inflatable sections 28 positioned on the lower portion 26. In this embodiment each actuator 108, 110 discretely inflates and deflates the corresponding portion 24, 28. Additionally, each actuator 108, 110 may include a plurality of pumps 102 as well as power sources 108, inflate buttons 104 and deflate buttons 106.

In use, the person 14 wears the body suit 12 conventionally as clothing. Each actuator 98 is actuated to inflate the corresponding portion 24, 28. The person 14 then engages in an activity such as skiing or snowboarding. If the person 14 falls, the inflatable sections 28 absorb the shock of the fall to reduce the chance of serious harm to the person 14.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements. 

I claim:
 1. An inflatable protective body wear assembly configured for reducing impact a user sustains when inflated, said assembly comprising: a body suit configured to be worn by a person, said body suit having an inner layer and an outer layer, said inner layer being spaced from said outer layer and defining a channel between said inner layer and said outer layer, a plurality of inflatable sections being mounted on said body suit, each said inflatable sections being attached to and extending between said inner layer and said outer layer, each of said inflatable sections extending outwardly of said outer layer and cushioning impact to said inner layer when inflated; and an actuator being fluidly coupled to each of said inflatable sections, said actuator being in fluid communication with air outside of said body suit, said actuator being actuated to inflate or deflate each of said inflatable sections, said actuator being mounted on said body suit.
 2. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 1, wherein said body suit has a break therein defining a upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being configured to cover a chest, a back and arms of a person, said lower portion comprising pants and being configured to cover legs and a pelvis of the person.
 3. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 2, wherein each of said inflatable sections on said upper portion being in fluid communication with each other.
 4. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 3, wherein each of said inflatable sections on said lower portion is in fluid communication with each other.
 5. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 4, wherein each of said inflatable sections comprising a resiliently elastic material.
 6. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 5, wherein said inflatable sections includes a chest section and a back section, said chest section being positioned on a front side of said upper portion, said back section being positioned on said back side of said upper portion.
 7. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 6, wherein each of said chest and back sections includes a vertical portion and a plurality of horizontal portions traversing said vertical portion.
 8. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 5, wherein said inflatable sections further includes an abdomen section being positioned on said front side of said upper portion, said abdomen section being spaced downwardly from said chest section wherein said abdomen section is configured to be positioned over an abdomen of the person.
 7. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 5, wherein said inflatable sections further includes: a right side section being positioned on a right side of said upper portion, said right side section being configured to be positioned over a right side of the person; and a left side section being positioned on a left side of said upper portion, said left side section being configured to be positioned over a left side of the person.
 8. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 5, wherein said inflatable sections further includes: a right shoulder section being positioned on a right shoulder of said upper portion, said right shoulder section being configured to be positioned over a right shoulder of the person; and a left shoulder section being positioned on a left shoulder of said upper portion, said left shoulder section being configured to be positioned over a left shoulder of the person.
 9. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 5, wherein said inflatable sections further includes: a right elbow section being positioned on a right elbow of said upper portion, said right elbow section being configured to be positioned over a right elbow of the person; and a left elbow section being positioned on a left elbow of said upper portion, said left elbow section being configured to be positioned over a left elbow of the person.
 10. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 5, wherein said inflatable sections further includes: a right hip section being positioned on a right hip of said lower portion, said right hip section being configured to be positioned over a right hip of the person; and a left hip section being positioned on a left hip of said lower portion said left hip section being configured to be positioned over a left hip of the person.
 11. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 5, wherein said inflatable sections further includes a coccyx section being positioned on a back side of said lower portion, said coccyx section extending downwardly from an upper edge of said lower portion toward a bottom of said pelvis, said coccyx section being configured to be positioned over a coccyx of the person.
 12. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 5, wherein said inflatable sections further includes: a right knee section being positioned on a right leg on said lower portion, said right knee section being positioned over a right knee of said lower portion and extending around an entire perimeter of said right leg encasing said right knee and a right popliteal fossa of said lower portion; and a left knee section being positioned on a left leg on said lower portion, said left knee section being positioned over a left knee of said lower portion and extending around an entire perimeter of said left leg encasing said left knee and a left popliteal fossa of said lower portion.
 13. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 1, wherein said actuator comprises a pump being in fluid communication with each of said inflatable sections, said pump being in fluid communication with said air outside of said body suit, said pump taking in said air outside of said body suit and inflating each of said inflatable sections, said pump dispensing said air outwardly from inside each of said inflatable sections deflating each of said inflatable sections.
 14. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 13, wherein said inflatable sections further includes: an inflate button being electrically coupled to said pump, said power button actuating said pump to inflate each of said inflatable sections, said inflate button being exposed outwardly from said body suit; and a deflate button being electrically coupled to said pump, said deflate button actuating said pump to deflate each of said inflatable sections, said deflate button being exposed outwardly from said body suit.
 15. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 14, wherein said inflatable sections further includes a power source being electrically coupled to said pump, said power source being positioned in said channel.
 16. The inflatable protective body wear assembly according to claim 15, wherein said power source comprises at least one battery.
 17. An inflatable protective body wear assembly configured for reducing impact a user sustains when inflated, said assembly comprising: a body suit configured to be worn by a person, said body suit having an inner layer and an outer layer, said inner layer being spaced from said outer layer and defining a channel between said inner layer and said outer layer, said body suit having a break therein defining a upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being configured to cover a chest, a back and arms of a person, said lower portion comprising pants and being configured to cover legs and a pelvis of the person; a plurality of inflatable sections being mounted on said body suit, each said inflatable sections being attached to and extending between said inner layer and said outer layer, each of said inflatable sections extending outwardly of said outer layer and cushioning impact to said inner layer when inflated, each of said inflatable sections on said upper portion being in fluid communication with each other, each of said inflatable sections on said lower portion being in fluid communication with each other each of said inflatable sections comprising a resiliently elastic material, said inflatable sections including: a chest section and a back section, said chest section being positioned on a front side of said upper portion, said back section being positioned on said back side of said upper portion, each of said chest and back sections including a vertical portion and a plurality of horizontal portions traversing said vertical portion; an abdomen section being positioned on said front side of said upper portion, said abdomen section being spaced downwardly from said chest section wherein said abdomen section is configured to be positioned over an abdomen of the person; a right side section being positioned on a right side of said upper portion, said right side section being configured to be positioned over a right side of the person; a left side section being positioned on a left side of said upper portion, said left side section being configured to be positioned over a left side of the person; a right shoulder section being positioned on a right shoulder of said upper portion, said right shoulder section being configured to be positioned over a right shoulder of the person; a left shoulder section being positioned on a left shoulder of said upper portion, said left shoulder section being configured to be positioned over a left shoulder of the person; a right elbow section being positioned on a right elbow of said upper portion, said right elbow section being configured to be positioned over a right elbow of the person; a left elbow section being positioned on a left elbow of said upper portion, said left elbow section being configured to be positioned over a left elbow of the person; a right hip section being positioned on a right hip of said lower portion, said right hip section being configured to be positioned over a right hip of the person; a left hip section being positioned on a left hip of said lower portion said left hip section being configured to be positioned over a left hip of the person; a coccyx section being positioned on a back side of said lower portion, said coccyx section extending downwardly from an upper edge of said lower portion toward a bottom of said pelvis, said coccyx section being configured to be positioned over a coccyx of the person; a right knee section being positioned on a right leg on said lower portion, said right knee section being positioned over a right knee of said lower portion and extending around an entire perimeter of said right leg encasing said right knee and a right popliteal fossa of said lower portion; a left knee section being positioned on a left leg on said lower portion, said left knee section being positioned over a left knee of said lower portion and extending around an entire perimeter of said left leg encasing said left knee and a left popliteal fossa of said lower portion; an actuator being fluidly coupled to each of said inflatable sections, said actuator being in fluid communication with air outside of said body suit, said actuator being actuated to inflate or deflate each of said inflatable sections, said actuator being mounted on said body suit, said actuator comprising: a pump being in fluid communication with each of said inflatable sections, said pump being in fluid communication with said air outside of said body suit, said pump taking in said air outside of said body suit and inflating each of said inflatable sections, said pump dispensing said air outwardly from inside each of said inflatable sections deflating each of said inflatable sections; an inflate button being electrically coupled to said pump, said power button actuating said pump to inflate each of said inflatable sections, said inflate button being exposed outwardly from said body suit; a deflate button being electrically coupled to said pump, said deflate button actuating said pump to deflate each of said inflatable sections, said deflate button being exposed outwardly from said body suit; and a power source being electrically coupled to said pump, said power source being positioned in said channel, said power source comprising at least one battery. 